Chicken Enchiladas with a Creamy Green Sauce

This is a dish that is meant to be changed up however you would like it! From vegetarian to chikcen or fish these are easy to use whatever you have on hand in your pantry/fridge. Change up the vegetables from greens to squashes--like butternut cubes or sweet potatoes cubed and parboiled before adding into the tortilla roll. Even yukon gold potatoes would be a good addition...of course beans are a great option...pinto, black beans or kidney beans.....and/or cooked brown rice with cilantro mixed in.....or you can use green onions in the tortillas for a fresher take.  Just use the tortillas and sauce and fill them anyway you'd like! Let me know what you create...I'd love to hear from you.

Chicken Enchiladas with a Creamy Green Sauce

Enchilada Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken, remove meat from the bones, and shred (or 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded)
8-10 whole wheat soft taco size tortillas (medium size)
1 bunch of collard greens (or spinach, kale, or any cooking greens)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
shredded carrot
shredded mexican blend cheese
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:
1/4 C of butter
1/4 C of flour
15 oz of chicken stock
1 C of sour cream
1 jar of Salsa Verde, 16 oz (my favorite is Hernandez)

Place onion in a large cast iron skillet with olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened, add garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes, add chopped kale with another pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper, and cook until collard greens have cooked down some and softened (but don't overcook it should still be bright green).

In a 9X13 glass dish, with a few Tbsp of the green salsa spread onto  the bottom, you will fill and roll tortillas and place seem side down.

Inside each tortilla place some of the kale mixture, carrots, chicken and cheese (about 1-2 Tbsp) and roll and place seam side down into the dish.  Continue filling 8-10 tortillas and fitting tightly into the dish.  Top enchiladas with some more cheese.



In a cast iron sauce pan (or stainless steel saucepan), melt the butter and add the flour.  Whisk constantly for about 5 minutes to slightly brown the roux and cook out the raw flour taste, add the chicken stock and bring to boil while stirring.  Remove from the heat and add the sour cream the rest of the jar of green salsa. Pour this sauce over the enchiladas.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until bubbly. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Chili with sweet potatoes and black beans

With the rain here in Central Ohio today chili seemed like a great idea. I love vegetables..and I have continued to be a member of the Green Grocer CSA all winter again..I need to get moving on more of these recipes from what's in the bag and my pantry....so tonight I decided to come up with a combination that would make everyone happy and use some of what just arrived.

So, I've gone with a combination of lean ground sirloin, sweet potatoes and black beans. My kids love roasted brussel sprouts and kale, so that is on the menu too.

Chili with sweet potatoes and black beans

Ingredients:
Olive oil or grapeseed oil
2 lbs lean ground sirloin
1 yellow onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp of ground cumin
1 Tbsp of chili powder
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1-2 C of beef stock
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 C of whole wheat orzo pasta or brown rice
kosher salt and black pepper


Drizzle a cast iron dutch oven with the oil...add the onion and a good pinch (probably a 2 tsps) of salt of pepper, cook the onion for about 3 minutes, add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes, then add the beef, cumin and chili powder and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes. Add in the sweet potato, orzo/rice and black beans. Add enough beef stock to cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.



Roasted brussel sprouts

1lb or so of brussel sprouts
Olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper

Place the brussel sprouts on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss around to ooat with oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven at 350-275 for about 30 minutes until very dark brown spots appear on the brussel sprouts.




Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale
salt
olive oil

Tear the kale from the stalk into about 1 inch pieces, toss with olive oil and salt (go easy on the salt on this one) until coated, then spread on a cookie rack on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, kale should be just crisping up.

Tassajara Warm Red Cabbage Salad

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
 or pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
• sea salt or kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 red onion, diced

• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound head of red cabbage/ radicchio/green cabbage quartered and cut into thin ribbons (I use a mix sometimes of what I have)
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

• 2 ounces golden raisins (or other plump, chopped dried fruit)

• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• Optional: 1/2 to 1 cup of bulgar wheat soaked in water
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Roast the sunflower seeds/pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Sprinkle on the sugar, and a couple pinches of salt. Stir until the sugar melts and coats the seeds in a very hot pan. Transfer the seeds immediately to a plate so they don't stick to the pan. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onion for a minutes or two with a couple pinches of salt. Stir in the garlic, and the cabbage, and a few more pinches of salt. Stir and cook for just a minute or so, or until the cabbage softens up just a touch. Then stir in the rosemary, most of the raisins, and the vinegar. The cabbage will continue to get more and more tender even after you remove it from the heat, soavoid overcooking it - where it collapses completely. Fold in half of the feta cheese, most of the seed or nuts, and all of the bulgar if using....then taste. Season with more salt if needed. Serve garnished with the remaining raisins, feta, seeds/nuts and Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling with Drop Biscuit Topping

Well, the photography for this blog post is just the capper on the kind of day I was having! But this healthy version of a chicken pot pie was a big hit here with the kids and Alan and me..The kids loved the whole wheat biscuits and ask I make them on their own sometime--so I will......I am sorry but for some reason my photos were all corrupt! Bummer...so I have only one photo of the casserole just before baking....sorry...but it was delicious! I hope you try and enjoy this recipe.

For the filling:

•                EVOO (Extra Vigin Olive Oil)

•                3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

•                1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

•                2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

•                4 teaspoons olive oil

•                1 Cup of pearl onions (frozen are great) or a medium onion, chopped

•                4 medium carrots, chopped

•                3/4 pound green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

•                3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced

•                1 1/2 cups lowfat milk

•                1/4 cup all-purpose flour

•                1 cup chicken stock

•                1 cup peas (frozen are great)

•                1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

•                 

For the biscuit crust:

•                1 cup whole-wheat flour

•                1/2 cup all-purpose flour

•                1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

•                1/2 teaspoon baking soda

•                1/2 teaspoon salt

•                6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

•                4 tablespoons grapeseed oil or canola oil

•                1 cup lowfat buttermilk

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. You'll need a large shallow casserole dish.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large cast iron skillet, heat a few teaspoons of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the chicken with its juices to a bowl. 

Add a few more teaspoons of EVOO to the same pan and heat it over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add the green beans, garlic and remaining salt and pepper and cook for 2 minute more. Add the milk. Stir the flour into the broth until it is completely dissolved and add to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes more. Return the chicken with its juices back to the pan. Add the peas and thyme and stir to combine. Taste, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish.

For the biscuits: Put the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse about 12 times, or until pebble sized pieces are formed.

Add the buttermilk then oil to the food processor and pulse until just moistened. Do not over mix. Drop the batter in mounds on top of the chicken mixture, spreading the batter out slightly. Bake until filling is bubbling and the biscuit topping is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. 

Grilled Veggie Ragu..perfect for Rigatoni Pasta

Looking for a great way to add veggies to your kids dinner?  And to use all of those zuchinnis and onions from summer? Try this easy pasta sauce. Also, I've started a new love affair with cast iron cookware. I've got an indoor grill pan and a couple of skillets. I can't say enough good things about cooking with cast iron...relatively inexpensive...easy to maintain, just a little maintenance, will last pretty much forever if you care for it...and no nasty chemicals to be breathed in as they off-gas or leach into your food.  More on cast iron soon....but I've used a cast iron grill pan and my large cast iron skillet to cook all of this (except the pasta which I cook in my beloved stainless steel pasta and steamer pot).  Anyway, the only negative to cast iron, could be said it is heavy, but then again, we could all use the extra exercise!

Grill Some Veggies!

Slice and toss the following veggies in olive oil and kosher salt, then grill:

1 eggplant
1 green zuchinni
1 yellow summer squash
1 red onion

Grill vegetables, use half for pasta sauce, keep other half in the refrigerator to make vegetable panini sandwiches or another pasta dish!
(I made panini's today with the vegetables above and herbed goat cheese on multi-grain bread...Yum!

Grilled Veggie Ragu.....perfect for Rigatoni Pasta

1/2 of the grilled vegetables from above, place in food processor and pulse until chopped.
Cook 2 lb of ground beef in a skillet seasoned with kosher salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper to taste. (Easily convert this to vegetarian, just use all of the grilled veggies and skip the ground beef).

—When the meat is cooked add the chopped vegetables, and add:
1 jar of your favorite marinara (I like Muir Glen Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce). Then rinse the pasta sauce jar with 1/2 cup of milk and add to pan.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add rigatoni and cook per the directions on the box.

Toss the pasta and sauce together and garnish with grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.

Farm Stand Casserole

So far it is turning out to be a lovely summer! From the weather, to activities with my kids...AND...I am happy to report that I've been really busy with real estate this spring/summer...no complaints here! But I apologize to those waiting for this recipe! I hope you enjoy it and take this basic recipe and mix and match wonderful summer vegetables and enjoy this all summer long! More recipes from my CSA Bag coming soon!

Farmstand Casserole

Ingredients


Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

2 cups (1/2-inch diced) bread from whole grain loaf

16 small tomatoes, like plum/roma (about 2 1/2 pounds), cut into quarters

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup basil leaves, approximate...use as much as you like, chop

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Optional: Add in any leftover vegetables you have cooked. This time, I had zuchhini and onions I had sauteed for another dinner left, about 2 C, so I add these along with the tomatoes...eggplant, red peppers, yellow squash, or even drained canned white beans would be a great addition too! 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of EVOO in a large (at least 12 inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the bread is toasted

Combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are toasted, add the tomato mixture (plus any other vegetables) and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. 

Remove from the heat, stir in chopped basil.

Pour the tomato mixture into a shallow (6 to 8 cup or 9 X 13) baking dish. 

Sprinkle evenly with the parmesan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm.

Farmstand Casserole, Serves 6

Middle Eastern Influenced Meal

Middle Eastern Influence.  Lately I've been craving the food from Cafe Instanbul....a local restaurant that has delicious Turkish Cuisine...I wish I could eat there a few times a week! I just love it. But, that just isn't convenient or practical...so I thought I'd try and bring a little of it home....here is what I've collected from searching and reviewing recipes online. My kids said this was one of the best meals ever! So I'll take that as a big compliment for my first attempt at bringing a little of the mediterranean home.



Ok, the meat was supposed to be a "kabob" which is ground meat on a stick, shaped like a hot dot....well, that wasn't working for me, and I was too tired to fuss around and get it to stay on the stick, so I made 4 oz "patties" instead and grilled on my cast iron grill pan. I think they tasted just as good...so are my Middle Eastern Inspired meat patties!

Middle Eastern Inspired Meat

 1 pound lean ground sirloin 

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

2 tablespoons za'atar (a recipe for this classic spice blend follows)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

 1 tablespoon ground sumac (this I buy in the Middle Eastern section of my local grocery, it comes in 1 lb packages!)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

black pepper, freshly ground

 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1/2 Vidalia onion, minced

2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

Combine sirloin, parsley, yogurt, za'atar, cumin, paprika, sumac, salt, some cracked pepper, garlic, egg and onion, and mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate. 






Preheat a grill pan on medium-high. Make 4 oz patties, and lightly coat the patties with the olive oil. Turn the grill pan down to medium and grill for 3-4 minutes per side. 


Za'atar Recipe

I have this I bought at a Middle Easter Grocery on High St. but in searching online I found various recipes and based on my spice label, have combined these and will try it soon...mix this with some EVOO and use it to dip pita bread in, or add some to the pepper and tomato salad as additional spice.

4 tablespoons ground sumac 

 2 tablespoons whole thyme

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, coarsely ground

2 tablespoons oregano

2 tablespoons ground marjoram

1 teaspoon savory (optional)

1 teaspoon basil (optional)

2 tablespoons coarse salt 

Crush the sesame seeds in a mortar, with a pestle.
Add the other ingredients and crush with the pestle.

Cacik (pronounced Ja-zhick)

2 cups plain yogurt, place in a strainer with cheese cloth or paper towel and let water drain away, best if you can do this for a few hours or all day while you are away (Or just buy a container of greek plain yogurt)


3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seed scraped, and diced very small


2 cloves garlic, diced very small


salt (I prefer kosher or sea salt)


2 tablespoons ground and dried mint (I used fresh from my garden, about 6 Tbsp minced)

• 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) 

• Place drained yogurt in a large bowl. 
Add all other ingredients, except salt, and mix thoroughly.  Chill in refrigerator for about two hours before serving. (Tonight I garnished mine with the zest of a lemon and an additional drizzle of EVOO).

Fresh Tomato and Pepper Salad

1 green bell pepper, cut into 1" squares
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" squares
2 tomatoes, cut in half, squeeze out pulp and seeds, chop
1/4 to 1/2 of a red onion cut into 1/2" squares
1 clove of garlic, minced (or grated in with a microplane)
zest and juice of 1 or 2 lemons
EVOO
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Feta, crumbled
Combine and toss...enjoy!

Pita Bread
Yes, you can buy this, but my boys will tell you this is fun to make at home and yummy!

1 C plus 2 Tbsp warm water
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 Tsp sugar (I prefer demera/sugar in the raw)
1 tsp kosher salt
3 1/4 C unbleached white flour


If you have a food processor, toss it all in and hit the dough cycle...if using a mixer, add the yeast and sugar to the warm water and let stand for about 5 minutes, then add teh salt and flour.  Mix and then knead until you have a smooth dough, let rise an hour to an hour and a half.


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Place a pizza stone in the oven, this is a great addition, but a sheet pan will do.


After the first rise, or dough cycle, punch down dough and let rest 30 minutes, then divide into six pieces and roll out about 6 inch circles. Place a few of the rolled out pitas on the stone or sheet pan and let bake for 5-6 minutes, place on a wire rack to cool. Continue until all are baked.  Most will puff, some won't.  They still taste great.